Alexander's

We have quite a few fire and earthquake drills here at the Todai. These drills are always pre-announced and start with a clear statement, that this is a drill — if you can understand Japanese that is, otherwise it might not be all that clear. Anyway we have designated evacuation areas, food ratios, little sheets of paper we are supposed to carry with us at all times and in case of an evacuation order give to the person in charge to make sure we made it out of the building.

So the other day we had one of these announced evacuations with all the annoyances that go with it. Half an hour wasted just to make sure everyone knows how to properly exit the building. One would imagine that people who made it into Todai can read enough Japanese to understand how to evacuate the building.¹ Well anyway I went to eat something just before we had to evacuate and when I came back from lunch order was restored and I could continue my research.

The next day I come — as always — around 9:00 and am — like normally — alone in my room, but as so often after a few minutes my professor strolls in and we start talking about the things I did and what I should do today — only to be rudely interrupted by a fire alarm.

Not again!

I roll my eyes, just to realize that there is no warning that this is just a test. Also my professor seems strangely agitated.

Alexander this doesn’t sound like a test. Please evacuate now!

So I pack my things — hey it’s better to burn with my research, than to loose it all and just get away with my life, plus I could never leave my camera behind and in comes one of the PhD students.

Alex this is a real fire — evacuate, I just need to swing by the office and will come shortly.

Sure thing, like me he values his research more than his life, but just as me he manages to escape with his data and life intact, or so I presume.

I just needed to Twitter² the fire alarm, before we left.

I can only say I’m glad that I have an iPhone and so I could Twitter it from the safety of the evacuation zone.